An Artist's Jointed Model
Kensington Rd, South Yarra (8 May, 2022) – Receiving first-hand experience from creator of sustainable fashion brand ‘Millie Wyld’ Amilidh Noblet and fashion stylist Jessica McMillan offers critical insight into the world of fast fashion. Advice given by industry professions will highlight the importance of creating and maintaining a positive fashion footprint.
Sketches produced in house by fashion brand 'Millie Wyld' considers where materials are sourced and how they are made. The lengthy process ensures longevity of the clothing is achieved. Ms Noblet said, "by deeming sustainability a key value of production it serves to educate shoppers and people on why clothing should be an investment."
Sketching timeless expression and creativity
Kensington Rd, South Yarra (8 May, 2022) – Creator of sustainable fashion brand, Millie Wyld, Amilidh Noblet showcases her very own ‘Noir Mesh Straight Skirt.’ Due to a lack of education surrounding the fast fashion industry, Ms Noblet created a brand that is inspired by “romance and timeless elegance” and wanted to be proud of what she brought to the market.
According to The State of Fashion 2019, 1 in 3 young women consider clothes that have been worn once or twice ‘old’ it isn’t hard to believe that fast fashion is an issue that is wasting the earth’s natural resources. Sustainability is prioritised at the forefront of Millie Wyld’s design process “through careful overseeing of manufacturing, producing minimal waste, and having limited quality drops without compromising on creativity and expression,” she said.
Stitching an end to waste
Kensington Rd, South Yarra (8 May, 2022) – In November 2021, $1 million was awarded to the Australian Fashion Council through the National Product Stewardship Investment Fund. The grant will bring together fashion designers, manufacturers, retailers, charities and the recycling sector to help tackle clothing and textile waste reaching landfill in Australia.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Australians are the second-largest consumers of textiles in the world. Learning more about the fast fashion industry is to educate others and to be educated about what can be done to help decrease the impact individuals have on the fashion industry and the planet.
Conscious Shopping is Smart Shopping
Kensington Rd, South Yarra (8 May, 2022) – Versatility and timeless elegance is showcased in Ms Noblet's brand Millie Wyld. “Fast fashion is certainly an issue and it has become such a norm that it is tough to have conversations with people who are addicted to fast fashion,” she said.
Fast fashion focuses on designing, manufacturing and marketing clothing in large quantities within rapid speeds of time, it focuses on finding a trend and getting it to the market as quickly as possible. Conscious shopping and questioning whether or not a piece of clothing is worth purchasing, clothes swapping or hand-me-downs can help reduce fashions environmental impact.
Millie Wyld
Kensington Rd, South Yarra (8 May, 2022) – Fast Fashion brands are exploiting their privilege by choosing countries with lax labour laws in order to manufacture clothing at a fraction of the price. 'Millie Wyld' owner Amilidh Noblet said, “workers work in inhumane conditions for low pay and threats to their safety.”
In a report for the Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Transitioning to a Circular Textile Economy in Australia, Australians dispose of 6,000kg of fashion and textile waste every 10 minutes. “Fast fashion truly is everywhere and I don’t think anyone is innocent in contributing or immune to the effects,” Ms Noblet said.
H&M = Harmful
Burke Street, Melbourne (30 April, 2022) – H&M’s marketing of disposable fashion and constant rotations of new trends and products has a huge environmental impact. As of 2019, according to The Business of Fashion, the fashion brand was sitting on $4.1 billion worth of unsold clothes, some of which are used as fuel for a power plant in Sweden. Like Zara, H&M has vowed to switch to sustainable fabrics by 2030.
Regardless of H&M also employing and mirroring a recycling program, the brand still manages under an unsustainable, fast fashion business model with a majority of the materials used to produce their clothing not being eco-friendly.
Standing the test of time
High Street, Templestowe Lower (8 May, 2022) – Australian Style Institute, fashion stylist Jessica McMillan said “investing in good quality garments that are going to stand the test of time,” is looking for high quality materials such as silk, cotton and linen to ensure longevity in clothing.
Ms McMillan said, fast fashion pieces are made of cheap synthetic fabrics that you usually only end up wearing once, then sit in your wardrobe, likely with tags on or ending up in the bin. “It’s my role to teach my clients how to shop smarter and with intention. To purchase garments that are versatile and have the ability to be worn year-round,” she said.
Shop with Intention
High Street, Templestowe Lower (8 May, 2022) – Many fast fashion retails are directly targeting teens and early 20’s with low price garments. “It’s important for us to start to change, to put pressure on retailers to do better,” Ms McMillan said.
Through recycling – (renting, op shopping), re-selling clothes online or at a market stall and re-wearing garments a person already has in their wardrobe is an essential step to minimising one’s fashion footprint. When thinking of buying new clothes shopping with intention is important "if the garment can be mixed and matched with 3+ pieces in your wardrobe than it can be considered a smart and sustainable buy," she said.
Quality over Quantity
Kensington Rd, South Yarra (8 May, 2022) – Wearing something that is last season or borrowing clothing from a friend or sibling can help decrease the number of clothes going to landfill. According to the Monash Sustainable Development Institute, over 100 billion garments are produced globally each year, with 33% going to landfill within the first year of purchase.
Shoppers shouldn’t punish themselves for what they already own whether it be fast fashion or any type of fashion, instead think about going forward. Ms Noblet said, "decluttering one’s wardrobe of fast-fashion clothing for no reason will only contribute more to environmental impact."
Original Fast Fashion Brand
Burke Street, Melbourne (30 April, 2022) – The term ‘fast fashion’ was devised by the New York Times in the 1990s to describe the way Zara could take a garment from design to stores in under 15 days. With the brands higher price point many mistaken the fashion brand as being ‘clean,’ their greenwashing tactics suggest otherwise.
According to a statement found on Zara’s website, the clothing brand’s recycling program states the brand plans to send nothing to landfill by 2023. Fast fashion brands like to employ and stand by a recycling program, as it helps customers justify buying more. Remember always, quality over quantity.
